Dossiê 8 - Letter from Sheldon Uffelman to Jacob and Eliza Uffelman

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Bramshot Hants 2/20/17
Dear Father & Mother:
I have a few spare moments so will use some in writing. Wm & I are feeling fine & hope you are all the same. In regards to the work here it is all together different to what it is at home. We have to get up at 6.30 Parade for breakfast at 6.45 & after breakfast have to make my beds & get ready for drill. We are out on parade at 7.45 & drill till 11.30 or 12 am. Have dinner at 12 parade again at 12.45 & finish at 4 or 5 depending on the syllabals for day. We have supper at 5 p.m. & after supper we have to shine our buttons clean our two rifles, shine brass on our

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Web equipment, shave, & this all takes at least an hour & a half. We then make up our beds. Have to be in at 9.30 & all have to be to bed at 10.15 as lights are then turned out. They sure do keep us working all the time. We are supposed to be advanced into our fourth week of training now. They say that we are to have fourteen weeks training here before we go to France but I would not be surprised if we would be shot over before long as they are preparing for a big offensive. There are drafts of men taken out of here daily & there is a draft going out again to-morrow. We have our full equipment which we

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Have when going to France. I was up to Tin town Monday night & last took a walk to Liphook about two miles from here. I got a letter this morning from Lloyd. His address is Lieut Lloyd Elsley
28 Rs. R. F. C.
Fort Rowen
Gosport
Hants
He says that he has down quite a bit of flying lately. I presume you received my few cards sent from London. We went there a week ago last Monday returning to camp Sunday night. I sure did have a pleasant Holiday. Wm & I stayed at a hotel & had to pay 3 shillings & 6 pence (84 c) a (over)

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Peace for bed & breakfast. We got our meals out at a Y.M.C.A. or some other club or restaurant & got a fairly good meal for 1 S. (24c) or one & six pence (36c). We got into London about 7 p.m. & after getting our place of lodging we went to Picardilly square & saw a good show at Empire Theatre for 1S6P. We got home about 11.30 p.m. got up at 9 next morning & then went out with a guide in the morning to see the Parliament buildings & West Minster Abbey. It sure was a fine piece of art & well worth while seeing. After having dinner we went to the Duke of Canterbury’s Home. It also was of great interest.

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In the evening we went to another fine show at Lucester Square. The following morning I spend looking around the town and in afternoon went to the Zoological gardens. They sure have a fine display of all reptiles, fowl & wild animals of would. We were there all afternoon & did not see it all. Thursday I looked up the Bean family. Louise Pape’s relatives & sure was treated well by them. Friday I looked up the Hayes family & after some difficulty managed to locate them I stayed with them for the night. Percy H. Hayes is married & lives at 25 Malta Rd (Church Rd. Leyton & Leonad Haye lives at 27 Amberly Rd. He was to have been married but his

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Intended wife was killed in a zeppelin raid last October. All he found of her remains was a portion of her bracelet & her post card album, which he showed me. He sure does feel very bad. He has lost quite a bit of weight & does not rest very well as yet. His mother is living with him but his father died about three years ago. They sire were surprised to see me as they had never dream’t of ever seeing any relatives from Canada. Sat. I spent with the Bean family & the girls there sure were fine to me. The oldest girl is getting married on Saturday & wanted me to come to the wedding but I cannot get away. They want me to stay with them if I ever get leave to go to London again which I will as they do anything to make me feel

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At home. Sunday I spent in seeing different parts of the city. The traffic here is sure great & one would wonder that there are not more accidents than there are. They have double storeyed strut cars & also trucks for traffic. Also the underground railway which certainly are a marvel. You go into an elevator which takes you down + then can go to any part of the city. You have to by [sic] ticket before you go down. One certainly can get to his destination in a hurray by means of same. If you like you can give this letter to Gladys to read & tell her I will write here [sic] shortly. I received your letter & also papers while in London & sure was pleased to read same. I presume you

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received the papers I sent you. That is the only kind of papers we get to read here & have to pay a hepeny (11) each. We do not get any war news here so cannot tell you about it. However they expect the war to be over in the next 6 months. Well I will have to close it I have but 5 minutes to get to bed. Hope this letter finds you all in best of health & may happiness be with you all ever more. Do not worry about us as we are fine & [illegible] will bring you nothing. It is to be hoped that we may be spared to meet again which I am sure we will.
Your loving son
Pte. S. Uffelann
25 Reserve Battn
C. E. F.
No. 751361 Bramshot
Hants